The Florida Project (2017)

Director: Sean Baker
Stars: Brooklynn Prince, Bria Vinaite, Willem Dafoe
Runtime: 111 minutes

Performances: 10/10
Screenplay: 7/10
Special Effects: N.A.
Costumes/Makeup: 9/10
Editing: 6/10
Cinematography: 8/10
Score/Soundtrack: N.A.

Verdict: I watched Sean Baker's "Tangerine" not so long ago, and instantly fell in love with it. So naturally, I couldn't wait to check out his follow up film. And boy did it not disappoint. "The Florida Project" follows Moonee and her relationship with her rebellious mother, Halley, who lives in a motel just next door to Disney World. The decision to set this movie right next to the happiest place on Earth added so much depth and contrast to it since much like Baker's previous film, it has a somewhat trashy atmosphere. Willem Dafoe as the motel manager, and Bria Vinaite as Halley (who Baker discovered on Instagram) both gave superb performances, but the real star of the movie is Brooklynn Prince as the foul-mouthed six-year-old Moonee, who in my opinion gave the best child performance since Jacob Tremblay in Lenny Abrahamson's "Room". All the characters were beautifully layered, to the point where I forgot that they were actors and was convinced that I was watching real people filmed in secret. The dialogue felt also very natural and was surprisingly very funny. I don't really have many problems with "The Florida Project", but I did feel that it had some pacing issues and as a result dragged a bit in the middle. Another thing that really annoyed me was the very last 20 seconds, which didn't work at all for me and took away from the excellent actual ending of the film. Nevertheless, Sean Baker proved once more with this movie that he's one of the most talented directors working today, and I can't wait to see what he does next.

Final Grade: 8/10